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Council selects new city manager

Alex McIntyre, a California native with managerial experience in large and small towns, has been chosen as Lake Oswego's city manager.

McIntyre, 46, said his strengths include building consensus and guiding large, complex projects.

He currently is assistant county administrator in Marin County, and before that he was town manager in the town of Tiburon for six years.

An affluent waterfront town just north of San Francisco, Tiburon has a population of about 9,000, compared with Lake Oswego's 36,000.

'I'm not at all concerned about the transition into a larger community,' said McIntyre, who noted that he was an administrative analyst in Burbank, Calif., and assistant to the city manager in Arcadia, Calif.

'He has a lot of experience in a demanding city,' said Lake Oswego Mayor Judie Hammerstad. She noted that McIntyre guided Tiburon through a large utility undergrounding project.

Hammerstad added that McIntyre will get out into the community.

'I think he's going to be very good at interacting with our residents, regardless of who they are,' she said. 'He's very open and has a great sense of humor. I think he really understands the complexities in a city like this.'

The city council is expected to approve his hiring on Feb. 5 and he will begin March 3. His salary will be $157,000.

McIntyre will replace Doug Schmitz, who left Lake Oswego in September to be city manager in Los Altos, Calif.

McIntyre said a large part of his first-year agenda will be developing an understanding of Lake Oswego, its residents and city staff.

Born in San Francisco, McIntyre and his family moved to the Los Angeles area when he was a teen. His father was city manager of Pasadena, Calif., for 20 years.

He received a degree in political science from the University of California Irvine, and a master's in public administration from University of Southern California.

In addition to his work in Arcadia, Burbank and Tiburon, McIntyre was city administrator in the central California town of Portola Valley.

'He's a very nice person and easy to work with,' said Jeff Slavitz, mayor of Tiburon. 'What I appreciate most about him is his interaction with people in the town. He's very community oriented.'

Slavitz said McIntyre 'builds bridges' between city departments. 'He's good at working with disparate groups and diffusing politically difficult situations.'

McIntyre will join the city at a time when major projects such as the sewer interceptor will be beginning.

Hammerstad said one of the city's 'weak spots' has been keeping residents abreast of developments with the interceptor project.

'We need to have someone who can interact with citizens as it's happening,' she said, referring to the interceptor project. 'He has a very ingrained sensitivity to that.'

Council President John Turchi said McIntyre has an ability to 'affirm different points of view.'

Hammerstad added that McIntyre should work well with local business and neighborhood organizations.

'I think he'll be able to continue the work we've done, but bring fresh eyes,' she said.

McIntyre said he has visited Portland in the past, and has friends there. One of his friends told him about the job opening in Lake Oswego, after reading that Schmitz was resigning.

He said he will stay with friends initially, 'until I get my bearings.'

Unmarried, McIntyre has a partner who is a manager at United Airlines.